Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Psalm 24
A Psalm of David.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.(A)
2 For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the currents and the rivers.
3 Who shall go up into the mountain of the Lord? Or who shall stand in His Holy Place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted himself up to falsehood or to what is false, nor sworn deceitfully.(B)
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation [description] of those who seek Him [who inquire of and for Him and of necessity require Him], who seek Your face, [O God of] Jacob. Selah [pause, and think of that]!(C)
7 Lift up your heads, O you gates; and be lifted up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, O you gates; yes, lift them up, you age-abiding doors, that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is [He then] this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah [pause, and think of that]!
11 On the twentieth day of the second month in the second year [since leaving Egypt], the cloud [of the Lord’s presence] was taken up from over the tabernacle of the Testimony,
12 And the Israelites took their journey by stages out of the Wilderness of Sinai, and the [guiding] cloud rested in the Wilderness of Paran.
13 When the journey was to begin, at the command of the Lord through Moses,
14 In the first place went the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah by their companies; and over their host was Nahshon son of Amminadab.
15 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Issachar was Nethanel son of Zuar.
16 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Zebulun was Eliab son of Helon.
17 When the tabernacle was taken down, the sons of Gershon and Merari, bearing [it] on their shoulders, set out.
18 The standard of the camp of Reuben set forward by their companies; and over Reuben’s host was Elizur son of Shedeur.
19 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Simeon was Shelumiel son of Zurishaddai.
20 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Gad was Eliasaph son of Deuel.
21 Then the Kohathites set forward, bearing the holy things, and the tabernacle was set up before they arrived.
22 And the standard of the camp of the sons of Ephraim set forward according to their companies; and over Ephraim’s host was Elishama son of Ammihud.
23 Over the host of the tribe of the sons of Manasseh was Gamaliel son of Pedahzur.
24 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Benjamin was Abidan son of Gideoni.
25 Then the standard of the camp of the sons of Dan, which was the rear guard of all the camps, set forward according to their companies; and over Dan’s host was Ahiezer son of Ammishaddai.
26 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Asher was Pagiel son of Ochran.
27 And over the host of the tribe of the sons of Naphtali was Ahira son of Enan.
28 This was the Israelites’ order of march by their hosts when they set out.
29 And Moses said to Hobab son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, We are journeying to the place of which the Lord said, I will give it to you. Come with us, and we will do you good, for the Lord has promised good concerning Israel.
30 And Hobab said to him, I will not go; I will depart to my own land and to my family.
31 And Moses said, [a]Do not leave us, I pray you; for you know how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and you will serve as eyes for us.
32 And if you will go with us, it shall be that whatever good the Lord does to us, the same we will do to you.
33 They departed from the mountain of the Lord [Mount Sinai] three days’ journey; and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them during the three days’ journey to seek out a resting-place for them.
34 The cloud of the Lord was over them by day when they went forward from the camp.
35 Whenever the ark set out, Moses said, Rise up, Lord; let Your enemies be scattered; and let those who hate You flee before You.(A)
36 And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, to the ten thousand thousands in Israel.
57 Now the time that Elizabeth should be delivered came, and she gave birth to a son.
58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy on her, and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it occurred that on the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were intending to call him Zachariah after his father,(A)
60 But his mother answered, Not so! But he shall be called John.
61 And they said to her, None of your relatives is called by that name.
62 And they inquired with signs to his father [as to] what he wanted to have him called.
63 Then Zachariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, His name is John. And they were all astonished.
64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he began to speak, blessing and praising and thanking God.
65 And awe and reverential fear came on all their neighbors; and all these things were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea.
66 And all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, Whatever will this little boy be then? For the hand of the Lord was [[a]so evidently] with him [protecting and aiding him].
67 Now Zachariah his father was filled with and controlled by the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed (praised and extolled and thanked) be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has come and brought deliverance and redemption to His people!
69 And He has raised up a Horn of salvation [a mighty and valiant Helper, the Author of salvation] for us in the house of David His servant—
70 This is as He promised by the mouth of His holy prophets from the most ancient times [in the memory of man]—
71 That we should have deliverance and be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who detest and pursue us with hatred;
72 To make true and show the mercy and compassion and kindness [promised] to our forefathers and to remember and carry out His holy covenant [to bless, which is [b]all the more sacred because it is made by God Himself],
73 That covenant He sealed by oath to our forefather Abraham:
74 To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our foes, might serve Him fearlessly
75 In holiness (divine consecration) and righteousness [in accordance with the everlasting principles of right] within His presence all the days of our lives.
76 And you, little one, shall be called a prophet of the Most High; for you shall go on before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways,(B)
77 To bring and give the knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness and remission of their sins.
78 Because of and through the heart of tender mercy and loving-kindness of our God, a Light from on high will dawn upon us and visit [us](C)
79 To shine upon and give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to direct and guide our feet in a straight line into the way of peace.(D)
80 And the little boy grew and became strong in spirit; and he was in the deserts (wilderness) until the day of his appearing to Israel [the commencement of his public ministry].
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